The Toughest Food Critique Tilly Ramsay Received From Gordon Ramsay May Surprise You - Exclusive
Tilly Ramsay has been on the "MasterChef Junior" set since she was just a child, and now she's living out a dream, having recently been promoted to the prestigious judge role on the series. The upcoming ninth season features kids between the ages of 8 and 13 competing in a variety of cooking challenges with culinary powerhouses Aarón Sánchez, Daphne Oz, and Tilly's father, Gordon Ramsay, also acting as judges. While promoting the new season, Tilly told Tasting Table in an exclusive interview that she was excited about the opportunity and had fun joking with her dad on set.
"I enjoyed every minute of it," the 22-year-old said. "I felt so lucky seeing him, and trying to be like him was really cool. We just wind each other up a lot of the time. We tease each other. We just have fun."
However, Tilly revealed that Gordon can be a micromanager in the kitchen. That said, when she shared the toughest cooking criticism she's ever received from her famous father, it was a far cry from the antics people have seen on TV. Instead, as she was trying to cook the absolute best steak, Gordon offered a gentler approach.
"I overcooked it once, and he was like, 'Oh, a little less,' or 'slightly over-colored the outside,'" she explained. "He is tough but he also knows that when those kinds of things were happening, I was learning and you've got to start somewhere."
Gordon Ramsay teaches all of his children how to cook
Tilly has five other siblings ranging in age from an infant to 25 years old. She said that her mother, Tana Ramsay, and Gordon always strive to teach their children how to create meals as a basic life skill. They even grew up with livestock in the backyard like pigs, lambs, and turkeys. However, the parenting duo didn't push her and her siblings to be professional chefs, they just wanted them to have the capability to take care of themselves and understand where food comes from.
"Mum and Dad have always said when you grow up and you go to college and university, you have to learn how to cook at some point," she explained. "So, they taught all of us from a young age. We can all cook, and we all enjoy it."
As for what it's like growing up with a culinary legend as your teacher? Tilly said there was no tough love and that Gordon enjoyed getting her involved in whatever he was making, whether it was fluffy scrambled eggs or pasta. "Dad wants to always share his knowledge," she said. "He always wants to excite other people to the same level that he feels. It was more teaching than tough love because, at the end of the day, I always say, 'Well, I'm learning from you, Dad.'"
New episodes of "MasterChef Junior" Season 9 air every Monday at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX.